Communication clock



Sept. 26, 1939.

Filed May 20, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS WILLIAM NAECKER BY CARRA GILES Patented 2c, 1939 2,113.85: consumes-monomer:

William Naccker, Suitiand, MIL, and Carra Giles,-

' Washington, D. 0.

Application May 20, loss. Serial No. 209.052

' 4 omm- (cl. sa-lzs) (Granted under the act of March 8,

amended April 30, 1928; 370 O. G. 75'!) This invention relates to a communication clock and has for an object to provide a clock wherein the time indicating mechanism consists of a plurality of axiallyjaligned disks or drums with the time indications placed on the edges of the disks or drums in position to be visible through a window. These drums have numerals thereon and are arranged to indicate time to the current minute and are adapted to be rotated by a substantially frictionless drive from any suitable clock operating mechanism.

In communication work, it is always necessary to include the time of sending in the message being sent or the time of receipt on the message being received. The time will necessarily be mentioned by numerals as for instance 10:57 or 23:39 (on a twenty-four hour basis). With a dial clock, errors may arise from the necessity of the operator's readingthe dial and interpreting such reading into numerals. With a drum type of clock,-the time is indicated in numerals on the edges of the drums and the current time -vide a drum type of clock, preferably of the substantially frictionless drive powered by the is indicated by the numerals visible through a narrow window through a wall behind which all the other numerals are concealed from view, thereby providing both accurate and easy readofthetime. v

A further object of this invention is to protwenty-four hour type.

A further object of this invention a to pro vide a drum type clock in which the drums are rotated periodically with a rapid snap action.

A further object of this invention is to provide a drum type of clock whose drums may be rotated in proper timekeeping sequence by a power mechanism of any well-known dial type of clock, the drive of the drum clock being connected to the main shaft of the dial clock in such a way and utilizing so little power that the accuracy thereof is not affected.

A further object of this invention is to provide a twenty-four hour drum type clock whichmay be connected to and powered by the power mechanism of an existing conventional type of clock.

With the foregoing and other objects in view this invention comprises constructions, combination, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth, disclosed, and claimed. In the draw-' ings:

Fig. 1 'is a partly elevational, partly frag- .mentary, and partly sectionalview of the drum clock of this invention, w

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view looking at the right or front face of the minute unit indicating drum.

FigJisasectionalviewonlineHofl 'ig. 1 looking at the left or back face of the minute unit indicating drum.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line H of Fig. 1

looking at the right or front face of the hour indicating drum and Fig. 6 is a sectional view througli the hour drum showing the drum actuating mechanism on line H of Fig. 5.

There is shown at II a housing provided with a conventional clock dial II at the frontend thereof of which the hour hand l2 and minute hand il behind the glass window It are actuated by the usual clock mechanism which may include a power spring casing II and gear i6, geared with the usual clock mechanism to the main shaft l1, the clock mechanism being supported in the customary manner between a front plate ll and a rear plate It. The power shaft II is extended through the rear. plate I! and has fixed thereon a gear 2| meshing with a pinion 2| of a large gear 22. This gear 22 in turn meshes with a pinion 22 which is journalled on the fixed drum shaft 24, one end of which is supported in the plate I! and the other end of which is fixed in the plate 25 located adjacentthe back end of the housing In. a beveled side wall 2' is provided with a window 21 through which can be read the time indicating numerals consistingof the hour indicating numeral 28 on drum 8i, the minute tens indicating numeral 29 on drum 22 and the minute unit indicating numeral 3| on drum I3. Each of these drums ii,

32 and 32 are iournalled on the fixed drum v shaft 24. As will be observed from Fig. 2, the fixed drum shaft 24 and the drums are offset from thedial clock power shaft l1 and clock face ii, the relative positions being such as shown by the broken line in Ii. There are two series of indicating numerals III on the minute unit indicating drum it, each series reading from 0 to 9 and equally spaced thereabout. It is therefore necessary that this drum make three revolutions per hour and the gear ratio of the gear train 20, 2|, 22, and 23 is therefore such that the gear 23 rotates three times as fast as the power shaft' H which operates the hour hand I2. There are four series of numerals 29, each series from 0 to 5 spaced equally thereabout on the minute tens drum 82. There is one series of .numerals 88 from 88 to 28 inclusive spaced equally thereabout on the hour drum 3i.

It is desirable that the window 23 show the time at the beginning of each minute and that the drums be rotated intermittently at the end of each minute with a rapid snap motion and not continuously. For this purpose it is necessary that the continuous rotation of the gear 23, which itself rotates three times an hour, be transmitted into intermittent or step by step rotation of the minute unit indicating drum 33, to thus provide sixty steps or sixty minutes per hour or three complete revolutions per hour, each revolution consisting of twenty individual steps. Fixed. to the continuously rotating gear 23 is an arm. 38 to whose counterbalancing base is secured a pair of spring fingers 3 and 3H extending alongside and in the same plane of rotation as the arm 36. A light weight drum control disk 38 preferably made of aluminum is journalled on the fixed drum shaft 24 next to the arm 34 and gear 23 and includes a forwardly extending hub 38 carrying a pair of spaced apart forwardly projecting pins ii and 32. I

The edge of the drum control disk 38 is provided with twenty equally spaced notches 39 and the pins 4i and lz are spaced apart a distance about equal to the spacing between the center of the notches 39. The arm 38 and spring fingers 36 and 3'? extend between the pins 4i and 42. As already apparent arm 34 rotates continuously and if disk 38 is momentarily held from continuous rotation by mechanism cooperating with the notches 39, arm 34 may move against either spring finger 3'5 or 38 depending on the direction of rotation and then when disk 38 is again released for rotation the spring finger 37 or 36 pressing against the pin 4i or 42 will quickly move the disk 38 to catch-up the motion lost while the disk was held stationary. Inasmuch as it may be necessary at times to set the clock for accuracy,'it is desirable that the drums may be rotated in a reverse as well as a forward direction and for this reason the spring finger and pins are provided on both sides of the arm 34 thus making it capable of transmitting the same type of motion to the drum control disk 38 in either direction. To set the clock it is only necessary to manually apply. power to shaft I! to rotate it in either direction, this being done by manually rotating the minute hand l3 in either direction. Rotation of the shaft I! will then cause rotation of the drums in the same manner as though the clock were in operation, except that the rotation will be much more rapid, due to the rapid manual rotation of the minute hand l3.

In this description the forward face or front side of any parts is considered as being the side nearest the clock dial of the housing at H while the rearward side or back face is considered as being the opposite side or face nearer the other end of the housing toward the fixed plate 25. The disk 38 is therefore showing the forward face in Fig. 2. The forward face of the minute unit indicating drum 33 is provided with twenty .equally spaced drum control stub pins 43, the

distance between these drum pins 43 being somewhat less than the diameter of a roller 44 journalled on a roller shaft 45 carried by a roller arm 46 freely pivoted on a supporting shaft 41, supporting shaft 41 being carried by a leg 48 fastened at 50 to one of the pillars 5! The roller arm 46 is provided at its other end with a counterweight 52 Fixed on the roller arm 46 is a greases against cushioning spring 53 to hold the roller 44 between, two of the stub pins 43 and prevent drum 33 from rotating. When pawl 58 momentarily enters one of the notches 39 the roller arm 938 is free to pivot about its supporting shaft 41 allowing the roller 44 to drop down and roll under one of the stub pins 43 to a position between that stub pin and the next pin 33 under the influence of the drum rotating mechanism about to be described. Meantime, while the pawl elbow 58 enters a notch 39 it momentarily prevents disk 38 from rotating, whereby arm 34% will press against the spring finger 36 in forward rotating direction. As soon as roller it enters into the next space between the pins &3, the pawl elbow 58 springs out of the notch and cannot reenter the notch because disk 38 will be immediately rotated by the spring 36 to bring that notch out of radial alignment'with the pawl elbow 58.

The mechanism causing the drum 33 to rotate whenever one of the notches 39 is radially aligned with pawl elbow 58 consists of drum actuating spring 68 held over a pin 6! extending into the forward face of drum 33. The ends 62 and 63 of the springGO are adapted at certain times to abut against short pins 64 and 65 fixed in the forward face of drum 33 on the other side of its bearing about the drum shaft 24. These pins 84 and 85 are spaced slightly apart. Between such pins at a slightlylonger radius from the center projects a long pin 66 adapted to extend through a curved slot 61 and the hub 48 of disk 38. Ex-'- tending from the rear face of the disk 38 is a short pin 69 which, as the disk 38 rotates, will press against the one or the other of the ends of spring 60, here being shown as pressing against the end 82. As the disk 38 rotates it presses against the spring end 82 storing up power in the spring which power in turn through pin urges drum 33 to rotate in a direction identical with the rotation of disk 38. This rotation is prevented, however, by the roller 44 between stub pins 43 until the end of a minute, at which time pawl elbow 58 will enter a notch 38 as it comes thereunder, releasing the roller 44 from the space between the two adjacent stub pins to thus allow the spring 68 through pin 65 to rotate the drum 33 to the next minute indicating position.

As this happens the roller 44 rolls under the stub pin 43 to the next space, the pawl elbow 58 comes out of the slot and the disk 38 is simultaneously rotated under the action of spring finger 36 sufficiently to prevent pawl elbow 58 from bouncing back into the slot and thus insuring that drum 33 rotates only one step during each actuation. The long pin 66 extending into curved slot 81 serves as a stop to prevent greater relative displacement than one step in either direction between the disk 38 and' the drum 33 while the hook 59 on the spring end 63 holds spring 68 in proper position. By the mechanism thus far described the power of the main spring in casement i5 is thus stored up in spring 60 and released once a minute to actuate the drum 33 intermittently.

As the drum 33 rotates in twenty intermittent hour it causes drum 32 to rotate one step for every half revolution or ten of the minute unit-indicating drum 33 so that during every hour the minute tens drum 33 is rotated six steps, for, as already explained, this mini 33 is provided with four series of numerals 33 and every time the drum 32 is rotated V of a revolution orsix steps it causes the hour drum 3i torotate {s of a revolution or one step. The mechanism thus transmitting the step by'step rotation of' I back face of drum 32, each spaced 90 apart.

, The mechanism for intermittently transmitting the motion of drum 33 to 32 and then drum 3! to 3i includes V-shaped arm I3 secured to the ilxedarm shaft 24. One leg 14 of this-V-arm I3 is offset as shown and carriesa shaft 13 on which is journalled a frictionless pinion disk 13, the thickness and spacing of this disk 13 on shaft ll being such that it may travel between the heads of pins and pins Ii or 12. This disk 13 forms part of a frictionless pinion consisting of four shafts 11 extending to opposite sides thereof and carrying frictionless rollers 13 and 13, the roller .14 being carried so that the one most radially distant from the drum shaft 24 is in the circular path of the disk heads of pins II or I: while the roller 13 on the other end is at the same time in the path of the heads of the pins 13. The diameter of the disk and spacing of the pins thereabout is such that if one roller leaves the path of the pins 1.3 and H or I3 the next roller enters the path thereof.

a Inasmuch as there are but two pins II, a half revolution of the drum 33 causes one step movement of the drum 32, and as there are four pins 12 every "quarter revolution of drum '3! causes one step movement of drum 3|. While the shaft 11 on disk 13 carries the rollers at opposite ends thereof, it is apparent that the disk headed pins 13, II or 12 might be similarly made with rollers instead-of circular heads thereon so as to keep the friction at a minimum. These pins and the disk s thus provide a substantially frictionless pinion for transmitting motion of one drum to the next .drum in the'proper ratio.

In order to keep the drums from rotating except under the meshing action of this frictionless pinion, the other leg 30 of the arm 13 car-1 ries a drum position control roller arm 3i pivoted thereon, this-arm 3i having a roller 32 at its other end freely rotatable about a shaft 33 extending from the arm H, the diameter of this roller 32 being such that it will partly flt between any of the pins 13. Drums 33 and 32 each have a rearwardly extending flange 84 and 35,

which flanges 34 and 33 are radially distant from the pins 10 a distance less than the diameter of.

the roller 82 is spaced about the drum shaft 14' from the center of the pinion disk 13. As the drum 33 rotates the head of a-pin ll will enter p rases-f thespace between two rollers II at the same time that the roller 32 reaches the bevelled opening 33 in flange 34. to roll into the opening 33 about the pin 13 and o be locked inthe space between that pin and the next pin as the disk I6 of the frictionless pinion is rotated one quarter of a revolution to thus rotate the drum 32 one step from one pin to the next, thus causing the drum 3! to be frictionlessly moved one step at every half revolution of the drum 33. The identical mechanism operates between drums 32 and 3i except that the flange is provided with four bevelled cut-away openlugs 31 corresponding to the four pins 12 thus permitting the drum 3| torotate one step for every revolution. of the drum 3!. g

In operation the power of the main spring encased in i3 operates power shaft l1 and the hands if and i3 over the clock dial Ii. Simultaneously through same shaft i1 and gear train 20 to 23 it rotates arm 34 to rotate disk 33 and through the notches 33 and spring Oil-by means of pawl elbow 33 and roller 44 it intermittently rotates the minute unit drum 33. This drum 33 through the frictionless pinion on disk 13 and the also the ends 62 and 33 of drum spring 33 on opposite sides of pins 34 and 33, the drums Ii, 32 and 33 may be rotated in either direction in setting the clock by rotation of theminutehand i3.

Other modifications and changes in the posltion and arrangements of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the nature of the invention within the scope of what is hereinafter claimed.

. The invention described hereinmay be manu- The roller 33 is then free I factured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

We claim:

' 1. A drum type clock comprising a plurality of time indicating actuatable drums. a clock mechanism, means connecting said clock mechanism to one of said drums and frictionless pinion means between each pair of said drums periodically transmitting the motion of each drum to each successive drum, said frictionless pinion motion transmitting means including a rotatable pinion between the adjacent faces of each pair of said drums, a great plurality of closely spaced pinion teeth on the forward face of each successive drum in constant mesh with the rotatable pinion adjacent said forward face and a lesser plurality of widely spaced pinion teeth on the rearward face of each drum in intermittent mesh with the rotatable pinion adjacent said rearward face, and means preventing rotation of said successive drums except when said rotatable pinion is in mesh with a pinion tooth of a preceding drum, said rotation preventing means comprising a flange on the rearward face of a preceding drum spaced from the pinion teeth on a succeeding drum, a roller of greater diameter than the space from the pinion teeth to the drum flange extending between said drum flange and the space between said pinion teeth, and cutaway cam surfaces in said drum flange corresponding in number and spacing to the pinion teeth on the rearward face of said drum, whereby said roller may enter said drum flange cutaway cam simul= taneously with the intermittent meshing of one rearward face pinion tooth with said rotatable pinion to free said suceeding drum for intermittent partial rotation.

2. In combination, a drum type clock compri'sing a plurality of intermittently actuatable drums, a continuously operable power mechanism and means for intermittently storing power from the power mechanism and releasing it to the drums to successively actuate said drums in proper timed sequence, said intermittently power storing and releasing means comprising a constoring and releasing means comprising a con-,

tinuously operable disk, yieldable lost motion means connecting said disk to said continuously operable power mechanism, a spring connecting said disk to an adjacent face of thefirst of said drums and means locking said first drum against arracss rotation and means periodically unlocking said drum for intermittent partial rotation with said disk, said drum rotation locking means compris ing a plurality 01 pins spaced about a face of said drum, a pivoted roller arm, a roller on said roller arm, and spring means pivoting said roller arm to hold said roller between any successive pair of said pins.

In combination, a drum type clock comprising a plurality of intermittently actuatable drums, a continuously operable power mechanism and means for intermittently storing power from the power mechanism and releasing it to the drums to successively actuate said drums in proper timed sequence, said intermittent power storing and releasing means comprising a continuously operable disk, yieldable lost motion means connecting said disk to said continuously operable power mechanism, a spring connecting said disk to an adjacent face of the first of said drums and means locking said first drum against rotation and means periodically unlocking said drum for intermittent partial rotation with said disk, said drum rotation locking means comprising a plurality of pins spaced about a face of said drum, a pivoted roller arm, a roller on said roller arm, and spring means pivoting said roller arm to hold said roller between any successive pair of said pins, said unlocking means including a ratchet means formed on said disk and a pawl on said roller arm holding spring adapted to intermittently enter said ratchet means to release said roller from locking position.

WILLIAM NAECKER. SARI-ta GILES. 

